Abstract P4-07-10: Effect of acupuncture and exercise therapy on muscular strength, lymphedema and quality of life in breast cancer survivors: randomized clinical trial
Authors: Patricia Santolia, Gil Facina, Cinira Haddad, Samantha K. Lopes de Almeida Rizzi, Afonso Nazário, Simone Elias
Journal: Cancer Research (2023)

Abstract Introduction: The continuous advance in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer has significantly reduced mortality and, consequently, increased the number of survivors with treatment side effects that act on the quality of life, such as lymphedema, loss of upper limb strength, shoulder dysfunction, decreased functional capacity, flexibility, and joint mobility. Exercise therapy is a recognized practice for the rehabilitation of these disorders; however, acupuncture needs to be better evaluated to compare its equivalence with classical therapy. Objective: To compare three distinct rehabilitation treatments (exercise therapy, acupuncture and Stiper®) in women undergoing breast cancer surgery, assessing strength, lymphedema and quality of life. Methods: Seventy-nine women with pain above 3 on the visual analogue pain scale (VAS) and with more than 90 days of surgery were included. They were divided into three groups that received weekly treatment for 10 weeks: group I (G1) treated with standard, pre-defined exercise therapy, based on stretching of the cervical muscles, shoulder girdle and shoulder ROM exercises with a duration of 30 minutes, group II (G2) treated with 30 minutes of acupuncture using predefined points and group III (G3) treated with the same acupuncture points as group II, however, using the Stiper® (silicon oxide micronized quartz pellet) in place of needles. Results: Sixty-seven patients completed the treatment, being 26 from G1, 23 from G2 and 18 from G3. There was an improvement in upper limb muscle strength over time in all groups, except for abduction and internal rotation movements. During treatment, there was no increase in the number of patients with lymphedema and there was no statistical difference between the groups. Regarding the EORTC QLQ-C30 quality of life questionnaire, nine of the fifteen factors analyzed showed significant differences between sessions. The factors that did not have significant differences between the three groups were Social Function, Nausea and Vomiting, Dyspnea, Loss of Appetite, Constipation and Diarrhea. Conclusion: The rehabilitation of physical dysfunctions in women who survived breast cancer through exercise therapy, acupuncture and Stiper® in upper limb muscle strength, lymphedema and quality of life, proved to be effective, without difference between groups, which leads to the conclusion that acupuncture didn’t show superiority of results when compared with exercise therapy, thus being an effective approach for the rehabilitation of these women. Citation Format: Patricia Santolia, Gil Facina, Cinira Haddad, Samantha K. Lopes de Almeida Rizzi, Afonso Nazário, Simone Elias. Effect of acupuncture and exercise therapy on muscular strength, lymphedema and quality of life in breast cancer survivors: randomized clinical trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-07-10.